About Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes (and excerpt)

Microsoft Word can create professional-looking documents for work, school, or home use. But do you know how to get the most out of this powerful application? In 30 minutes, author Angela Rose will show you how to become a power user of Word 2016 for Windows and macOS. Even if you have used MS Word in the past, this guide will demonstrate tools and time-saving tips that will help you make a bigger impact when writing letters, reports, essays, resumes, manuscripts, and other documents. Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes also covers Word Online, Microsoft’s free (but limited) online alternative.

Topics include:

MS Word interface basics, from Backstage View to the Ribbon

Office 365 subscriptions and OneDrive

Display options for individual documents

How to work with multiple windows in Microsoft Word

Working with .docx, .doc, .txt, PDF, and other file formats in Word 2016 and Word Online

Locating recovered files

Printing documents, envelopes, and labels

How to format text using the toolbar

How to format Word documents using styles, themes, and style sets

Creating Word documents with professional-quality templates

How to create tables and charts in MS Word

Adding images, video, and hyperlinks

How to automatically create a table of contents in Word

Adding footnotes, endnotes, citations, a bibliography, and an index

Word spelling, tracking, and other reviewing tools

Collaboration tools, from comments to live collaboration

How to protect your Word document

There are lots of examples, screenshots, and offbeat anecdotes from the author. Whether you are new to Microsoft Word, or want to familiarize yourself with the new features and interface of Word 2016 compared to older versions (Word 2013, Word 2010, Word 2007, Word 2003, etc.), Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes is a great guide.

I have found these books to be very helpful as they deal with the important items that allow one to get up and running quickly with a minimum of side issue discussion.

Dr. B. W. Langer

“

I also liked that the back of the book offers a list of MS Word shortcuts for Windows and Mac.

Vanessa

“

The 'In 30 Minutes' series demystifies and simplifies topics that leave non-techies scratching their heads for insight, if not plain old comprehension.

Jessica Lipnack

Excerpt: Introduction to Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes

Millions of people use Microsoft Word every day. I cannot imagine working as a freelance writer without it—the program is essential to my work writing magazine articles, online blog posts, website text, and even books like the one you are reading right now. But you don’t have to make your living stringing words together to benefit from Microsoft Word. Almost anyone will find dozens of personal and professional uses for this versatile program.

What are people doing with Microsoft Word? Here are just a few examples:

Eve just graduated from high school and is heading off to college. She has used Word in the past for term papers, but plans to use it a lot more this fall. From typing up lecture notes to organizing her study schedule and homework deadlines, Eve will rely on Word documents to keep her goals on track. Further, uploading files to OneDrive will allow her to access them from her PC at home, her laptop in the classroom, or even her phone when she is on the go.

Phil uses Microsoft Word every day, and has been doing so since the 1990s. However, he’s avoided upgrading until now because he doesn’t want to have to relearn how to use it. He bought this book because he’s worried about all the new features and wants to get up to speed on the user interface for Word 2016 as quickly as possible.

Robert has never used a word processor before. His career as a metalworker never required it. Now he has retired and wants to record his family’s history. He is slowly learning to type and plans to use Word to create documents containing his family tree, stories he heard from his grandparents, and photos of various ancestors that he has collected over the years. Once he has created a document that contains all of the text and images, Word will make it easy for him to format, print, and distribute it to relatives all over the country.

Shahida is preparing to search for a new job. She has used Word numerous times in her current position as an office manager, but she is excited about creating an eye-catching résumé and cover letter based on the new templates in Word 2016.

Annie is writing her first book about the care and training of cats. She is going to use Word 2016 for her Windows PC as well as Word Online to prepare her manuscript. Once she has a draft in hand, she will turn to friends and family who have offered help as proofreaders. Word’s Track Changes feature will make it easy to accept or reject their suggestions.

Fernando recently subscribed to Office 365 in preparation for launching a new company. He is currently using Word to put together a business plan complete with tables, charts and footnoted research that should impress any investor. Fernando will use Word’s security features to ensure that only selected people will be able to review the business plan.

I have written this guide—complete with step-by-step instructions, screenshots, and plenty of cat-related anecdotes—to help all kinds of people quickly learn basic features and tools of Word 2016. It is not a comprehensive guide, and certain advanced topics such as Mail Merge and mathematical equations are excluded. Nevertheless, Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes covers all of the basics as well as most intermediate-level topics, including:

Navigating Word’s Ribbon.

How to create a new document.

Formatting, styles, and themes.

How to save, print, and export Word files.

Easy ways to add cool elements such as images and charts.

How to whip up a table of contents, indexes, and footnotes.

How to make sure your copy is perfect.

Collaboration and other ways to share documents.

Even better, you will learn all this in about 30 short minutes. That is less time than most of us spend watching funny cat videos (or dog videos, if you’re not into cats) on YouTube every day! We don’t have any time to lose, so let’s get started!

Disclaimer

i30 Media Corporation and IN 30 MINUTES guides are not associated with other brand names, product names, or trademarks cited in this book, including Microsoft Office®, Office 365™, Word®, or OneDrive®. Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes is an independent publication and is not authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Word In 30 Minutes is not affiliated with Microsoft Word for Dummies or similar titles published by other firms.